Inside the sect, the surviving guard was still dragging himself toward the inner guard post.
The guard post came into his view where two guards stood outside.
"AAAAHH!" he cried loudly, trying to catch the attention and the two guards turned their heads immediately.
For a split second, both froze as they stared at the blood-soaked figure dragging himself towards them and rushed towards the man, one kneeling next to him and the other twisting around to whistle sharply.
…
A second whistle answered from somewhere else then another.
The guard crouching beside the injured man gripped his shoulder carefully. "What happened?"
The injured guard drew a breath that rattled slightly. His good hand found the crouching guard's sleeve and held it.
"Sect...under attack," he said."Crimson... Sword."
The crouching guard's face changed. He looked up at his partner who was already running toward the main elder quarters with his hand still raised to whistle again.
The sound of his boots on the stone path quickly grew the noise of a sect waking all at once.
In the Medicinal hall. Elder Han was already sitting up in bed when the first whistle reached his quarters.
His brows drew together into a sharp line and he moved through the door before the second whistle finished sounding.
The corridor outside was already filled with movement. Other elders were emerging from their quarters as well.
Elder Wei fell into step beside him immediately.
"Elder Han, what is happening?" he asked worriedly.
"I don't know," Elder Han said, without slowing down.
They converged on the main assembly point below the inner hall, where the guard formations gathered during emergencies.
Guards appeared from every direction at once. Stepping out of doorways. Dropping from patrol positions on rooftops.
They assembled into formation with the practiced speed of people who had drilled this many times.
The head guard stepped forward and dropped into a bow before the elders. Their eyes moved past him to the four bodies laid out on the ground behind him, covered with white cloth that had already darkened in places where blood had soaked through.
Elder Wei's voice was flat.
"Report."
The head guard straightened himself.
"An injured guard reported that the sect had been attacked by the Crimson Sword Sect."
"What, crimson sword…" All the elders reacted at once.
"We found three more bodies and the cause of death is consistent with a demonic assassination technique."
Just after the head guard finished speaking, Elder Tian spoke. Who had been standing slightly apart from the others, arms folded
"Mmm. Are we really.." he paused. "How did this surviving guard know it was the Crimson Sword Sect? Did they announce themselves?"
The head guard had no answer. He looked just as confused
Silence followed.
"Wait! Are we surrounded by the attackers? Did you check?" another elder asked suddenly.
"I have already sent my men to check the surroundings," the head guard replied quickly. "So far there has been no sign of enemy forces."
"Perhaps the attack itself was not the true objective." Elder Tian said. "Where is that guard?"
The head guard turned and pointed toward the bodies laid out on the ground.
"He…..died from poisoning."
Everyone's expression hardened.
Elder Han, who had remained silent since arriving, finally spoke. "Hah! Our men were attacked and you don't know why?... It is simple, by using the Crimson sword sect's name someone is trying to ignite the fire."
"But why."
No one answered.
"Maybe Elder Han is right," one of the elders said.
Several heads turned toward Elder Han.
But he was no longer listening. His gaze was moving across the gathered elders, as if searching for someone.
Then his eyes paused. "Where is Shen?"
"He went straight to the Spring Pavilion, why?"
Elder Han's expression shifted slightly.
"Wait….?"
For a moment he didn't move, as if the words had only half registered. His eyes sharpened and he turned immediately, heading straight for the Spring Pavilion. "Follow me!"
The other elders followed without waiting for an explanation.
They reached the pavilion in moments.
Elder Shen was already there ahead of them, standing in the open doorway with one hand braced against the frame, calling into the interior in a voice that had abandoned all composure.
"Lian'er. Lian'er!"
He turned at the sound of the others arriving. His face in the lamplight was the face of a man who had already found the answer to the question he was asking and did not want it to be true.
"She's not here," he said. "Lian'er is not here."
From inside the pavilion, rapid footsteps came down the stairs and Aunt Qing appeared in the doorway behind Elder Shen.
"Fu Yang isn't in his room." she said breathlessly.
"No!" The word exploded from Elder Han and he pushed through the elders, already hurrying inside the pavilion..
******
The town was alive with small lights and quiet sounds even at this late hour. A few lanterns still burned outside doorways. The streets were narrow and uneven between the buildings.
Yue Lian had gone completely still in my arms.
She was looking at everything. Homes, taverns, small and big buildings.
Her eyes moved from one thing to the next with the careful attention of someone trying to memorize everything at once.
After a moment, she turned to me.
"Put me down, I want to…"
But I kept moving. "This is nothing lian'er, you haven't seen the village where we are heading. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been."
She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't read. Something between wanting to believe but not quite daring to.
"Did… mother allow this too?"
"Haha, of course."
I glanced at her face. It had lit up with excitement. "Really?"
"Heh, but only if you will listen to me or I will take you back to the sect."
"Mmmm… Ok."
The road stretched quietly ahead of us beyond the town. And even on this night I didn't stop…
Sometime after dawn, I reached the trade road and found a passing merchant wagon heading toward a nearby village. The merchant let us ride along...…..The carriage wheels creaked steadily beneath us.
Sunlight filtered through the worn canvas covering the back of the wagon. Yue Lian slept beside me, her head resting in my lap while I leaned against the wagon's wooden side.
My face was covered by a simple cloth. Hair tied back and wrapped in cloth, and I wore plain clothes like any mortal traveler.
"Young man," the driver called back. His voice was friendly. Casual. "We'll reach my village before midday. You're welcome to rest there if you need."
"Thank you, You are very kind."
This middle-aged man was a merchant carrying goods back to his village.
"Ah, it's nothing. The road is long and children tire easily." He glanced back briefly. "Though I must ask... why do you cover your face? Are you ill?"
The question came naturally for which I was prepared. "Sigh ... .a cultivator," I said as my voice dropped slightly.. "... attacked me because he was after my little sister."
I reached out, caressing Yue Lian's head gently.
"And..I tried to stop him, but he slashed my face with his sword…. It's just umm."
The driver's expression changed. "Those evil bastards. Forgive my language, but these cultivators…they think they can do anything, take anything. And no one can stop them."
He spat over the side of the carriage.
"Is he still... looking for you two?"
"I don't know, but.." I said quietly. "We left..and now we're traveling away from our home. Trying to find somewhere safe."
The driver nodded. His grip on the reins tightening. "You did the right thing, your family must come first before everything."
"Yes."
The road stretched on. Conversation drifted between us at times. The driver spoke of his village, of his family.
The sun climbed higher and eventually a small village appeared ahead.